Close Call
by Tanith May
Summary: Skulduggery and Valkyrie are called in to investigate a crime scene. Unfortunately things never go to plan. The two run straight into danger... and this particular danger has the power to kill them.
1. Greetings

_**SKULDUGGERY AND VALKYRIE ARE CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE A MURDER SCENE. HOWEVER THINGS NEVER GO QUITE TO PLAN AND THEY RUN STRAIGHT INTO DANGER... AND THIS PARTICULAR DANGER HAS THE POWER TO KILL THEM. (THIS IS MY FIRST FAN FICTION SO SORRY ITS NOT VERY GOOD, BUT I CAN ONLY GET BETTER...RIGHT?) SINCE I AM A BEGINNER WRITER PLEASE COMMENT SO I CAN IMPROVE MY WORK. THANKS FOR READING!**_

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Valkyrie was lying in her bed, trying to get some sleep. Suddenly she heard a tapping at her window. A long time ago that would of made her jump but that was back when she was 12, back when she was a confused, weak and slightly paranoid Stephanie Edgley. These days she would just stroll up to the window and greet the skeleton detective into her home without a fuss.

"Hello," Skulduggery said.  
"Hey," replied Valkyrie. "any reason why you decided to visit?"  
"Well," began Skulduggery, "there is a serial killer on the loose trying to find a device that will supposedly end the world."  
"Yes but that is no reason to disturb my 'me time' now is it? Anyway, we have saved the world plenty of times before. Can't we just let someone else do it this time?"  
"Unfortunately not many people are skillful as we are Miss Cain."  
Valkyrie grinned and grabbed her beautifully tailored, black protective clothing. "Well, I am very talented. Turn around."  
Skulduggery did as he was told.  
"So, did you find any clues as to who our mystery killer is?"  
"Yes. The murderer is an evil person who has a tendency to kill people."  
Valkyrie slipped on her perfectly fitted trousers that Ghastly made for her and struggled to put a t-shirt over her head. "Great. That's extremely helpful," Valkyrie said, her voice muffled by the t-shirt.  
"But," continued Skulduggery, "there have been reports of a murder quite close from here and..."  
"Let me guess. We are going to investigate and see if the killer left any clues."  
"Exactly. Can I turn around now?"  
"Yeah." Valkyrie tied the laces of her boots and jumped to her feet. "OK! I'm ready."  
"Good," Skulduggery said and floated back out the window with grace. Valkyrie hurried to let her reflection out of the mirror and followed Skulduggery to the Bentley.  
"Seat-belt," Skulduggery said as he started up the engine.  
Valkyrie rolled her eyes and clipped in.

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 ** _OK SO THAT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY FIRST STORY FOR YOU GUYS. HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT :)_**


	2. Arriving at the scene

**_I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING TO SAY SO... HELLO. HERE'S CHAPTER TWO FOR YOU ALL._**

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They arrived at their destination after exactly 15 minutes of driving. It was raining. Valkyrie decided she hated Irish weather. She shuffled behind Skulduggery, hands on her head trying to shield herself from the cold raindrops, and followed him to the door of a cottage. It wasn't a particularly nice cottage. The walls were crumbling, the windows were covered in dirt, stopping any light from entering the house, and the overgrown garden threatened to swallow everything in its path. Skulduggery activated his facade and knocked on the door. No reply. He knocked again, harder this time, and the door swung open slightly. Skulduggery glanced down at Valkyrie with his fake waxy eyes, shrugged and stepped into the house, Valkyrie close behind.

A man was crumpled on the floor in the center of the room. He had a giant, ridged cut along his stomach and his guts were spilling out. Valkyrie gagged at the overpowering stench of blood while Skulduggery went for a closer look at the body.  
"He was killed the same way as the others," he informed Valkyrie.  
"I noticed that from over here," Valkyrie barked back.  
Skulduggery grunted and moved on through the house. "Search for clues in the kitchen. Tell me if you find anything," he called. Valkyrie shot him a glare that she knew he would never see and made her way to the kitchen.

The kitchen seemed normal enough. No cupboards were open. Nothing looked as if it has been touched. A sudden crash from upstairs made Valkyrie jump and the hairs on her neck stand on end. In a split second Skulduggery was with her, grabbing onto her waist and flying her up the staircase. They checked each room in silence but there was no sign of any disturbance. Eventually they had been in every room but one. Skulduggery deactivated his facade and lifted up 3 gloved fingers. He put each finger down, one at a time, counting them in. 3..2..1.. at the same time they both burst into the room, fire appearing in Valkyrie's palms and Skulduggery's gun ready to shoot. The room, much to their surprise, was empty apart from a tool box in the corner. Just as Skulduggery began to lower his gun, a figure jumped down from the ceiling.

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 **SO I'M NOT TOO SURE ABOUT HOW THIS CHAPTER TURNED OUT BUT OH WELL.**


	3. Under arrest

**_THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A BIT OF VIOLENCE JUST TO WARN YOU. BUT IT'S NOTHING TOO BAD IN MY OPINION._**

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The figure landed right on top of Skulduggery, taking him down. The killer, obviously, was able to climb walls. After that, everything was happening at once. The man started throwing punches down but Skulduggery caught his fist and flipped him over. Skulduggery pinned the murderer against the wall and wrapped his hands around his throat.  
"Who are you?" Skulduggery questioned. When the man didn't answer Skulduggery squeezed tighter.  
"Ray Blood-worth," the killer gurgled.  
"Mr Blood-worth you are under arrest." Skulduggery reached down with one hand to get the handcuffs but the Ray took this as an opportunity to get free. He head-butted Skulduggery's chest and kicked his legs from under him, making the skeleton detective smash onto the floor. Valkyrie threw fire balls at Ray but he dodged them all and came charging at her. Valkyrie cursed and tried to move out the way but she was too slow and he collided with her, sending them both crashing through a wall. Breath rushed out of her lungs. Valkyrie made an effort to use the air to push him away but she was unable to control her magic as her mind was unfocused. Ray sent an elbow into her nose and her head jerked back. She could already feel warm blood dripping down her lip. Ray was pulling at her hair now and she cried out in pain. Then Skulduggery was there, dragging Ray off Valkyrie and pushing him to the opposite side of the room. Valkyrie tried to get back up but her legs wouldn't move. She was lying there with tears in her eyes watching Skulduggery and Ray throwing each other around. She felt so useless, so helpless. Skulduggery was in mid kick when Ray grabbed his foot and pulled it his leg off. Skulduggery yelled and clumsily fell to the floor. He didn't get back up. Ray picked up the still skeleton by the ribs and threw him out of the window, along with his leg, without any effort at all. Ray turned to Valkyrie and smiled. Valkyrie panicked and tried to get away but Ray was already on top of her so she was unable to move.  
"Well, well. Look who we have here. The heroic Miss Cain being beaten by a guy like me. Who would've thought?"  
Valkyrie spat blood into his face and she got a chuckle in response but his smile quickly vanished, being replaced by anger.  
"I wouldn't annoy me if I were you," he growled.  
"I am going to kill you," Valkyrie said through gritted teeth.  
"We'll see about that." Ray grabbed a hammer from the tool box and smashed it down on Valkyrie's head. She screamed. He laughed. Ray lifted the hammer up and brought it down again. Valkyrie could feel herself slipping out of consciousness. She turned her head to the side, just in time to see Skulduggery clambering through the broken window before everything went black.

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 ** _FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! SEE, IT WASN'T TOO BAD WAS IT? JUST A BIT OF PUNCHING, NOSE BREAKING, PULLING LEGS OFF, BEATING A YOUNG GIRL WITH A HAMMER... NOTHING VIOLENT AT ALL._**


	4. Doctor Nye

_**OK SO YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE NOTICED BUT I HAVE EDITED MY PREVIOUS CHAPTERS AND TRIED TO IMPROVE THEM BY ADDING MORE DESCRIPTION, ELONGATING SENTENCES E.C.T . HOPEFULLY THEY ARE BETTER NOW AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIPS. THANK YOU!**_

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Valkyrie woke up. She could feel Skulduggery's bony arms carrying her and he appeared to be tense and agitated. She tried to speak but realized her throat was unimaginably dry and only a small noise, something between a groan and a squeak, escaped her lips. However, this rubbish attempt at talking didn't go by unnoticed and she saw Skulduggery visibly relax. It was at that moment Valkyrie started to identify her surroundings; she was in the sanctuary. All of a sudden Valkyrie felt a sharp pain in her head and she hissed in pain as it worsened. Skulduggery quickened his pace and soon he had burst through the double doors of the medical bay with Valkyrie sobbing in his arms, catching the attention of doctor Nye.  
"Help her now!" Skulduggery demanded. "NOW!"  
Nye strode over to the outraged skeleton and led him to an available bed. Skulduggery carefully placed Valkyrie down and explained to Nye what had happened. It started preparing some injections and wiping it's scalpel clean. Skulduggery was still talking. Nye wasn't listening to any of it since it had already figured out what treatment Valkyrie needed after one look at her. It turned around with a mask over it's mouth and a small injection filled with a murky yellow liquid in it's hand. Skulduggery paused for a moment and Nye took the opportunity to say something itself.  
"I shall get right to work," it said. "you can leave through the door on your left."  
"I'm not leaving her,"Skulduggery replied, and, as if to prove his point, he sat down on a chair beside the bed. Nye leaned over Valkyrie, who was wiggling and moaning in pain.  
"This was only hurt a bit," it said, a hint of amusement in its voice. Nye stabbed the needle into Valkyrie's neck and she let out a quick scream before falling into a deep sleep.

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 _ **THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT AND BORING I KNOW. I PROMISE THE NEXT PART WILL BE BETTER. I ALSO REALIZED THAT MY LAST TWO CHAPTERS ENDED WITH VALKYRIE GETTING KNOCKED OUT WHICH IS REPETITIVE AND SO VERY CHEERFUL (SARCASM). KEEP THE REVIEWS COMING IN BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO GET BETTER AT WRITING (AND RIGHT NOW I'M CERTAINLY NOT THE BEST AT IT)! :) :) :)**_


	5. until the end

_**THIS WILL BE THE FINAL PART TO MY STORY.**_

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Valkyrie eyelids fluttered open. She was feeling dizzy and hot. Next to her she saw Skulduggery sitting on a chair, still as a stone statue. He didn't notice her wake up so she knew he must be meditating.  
"Hi," She whispered. Skulduggery straightened up and turned his head to her.  
"Hello. How are you feeling?" He said.  
"Tired and my head really hurts," she replied, rubbing her head where she has been hit. She could feel a large scar under her fingers. Nye had done a good job stitching her up but, judging by the amount of pain she was in now, it didn't give her any pain killers. Valkyrie had a feeling it did that on purpose.  
Skulduggery nodded."I'm not surprised."  
"What happened to Ray?" Valkyrie asked.  
"I arrested him. He's being dealt with by the sanctuary as we speak. You know, he was a rather good fighter and I had to handcuff him while you were asleep. I could've been killed. Worst still, he could've ruined my suit," Skulduggery joked.  
"Hey! Don't try to put the blame on me. At least I wasn't the one who forgot to check the ceiling before being taken down by a psycho."  
Skulduggery tilted his head. "He caught me of guard. It didn't occur to me that he could climb walls."  
Valkyrie brought her hands to her face in shock. "Oh no! The great Skulduggery pleasant made a mistake! How could this be?"  
"Your just jealous because I'm not the one lying in hospital wearing a pink gown."  
Valkyrie looked down at her self. She was wearing a pink hospital gown with rabbits on. _'Damn,'_ She thought to herself.  
Skulduggery's voice softened. "I'm sorry Valkyrie. I should have been stronger. He could have killed you and I don't know what I would do without my partner."  
Tears filled Valkyries eyes _. 'Was she about to cry?'_ A tear started rolling down her cheek. _'Oh no. Why was she crying. She didn't feel like crying. This head injury must have been more serious than she thought.'  
_ "Are you crying," Skulduggery said. He sounded worried.  
"No. It's...It's just a trick of the light."  
Skulduggery got up and sat next to her, wrapping his cold, bony arm around her shoulder. "You forget that I'm too smart to be fooled," He said gently.  
Valkyrie tried to let out a laugh but instead she sobbed and her tears started to flow like rivers out of her eyes. She buried her head into Skulduggery's chest and he hugged her more tightly. They stayed like that for the longest time and every so often Skulduggery would whisper comforting words to her.  
"It's going to be fine. Your alive. I'm alive. That's all that matters," he said.  
Valkyrie sniffed and pulled away. "Yeah. We make a great team."  
"The best,"agreed Skulduggery  
They both shared a small laugh but it didn't last long. Skulduggery patted her on the head.  
"Until the end Valkyrie."  
"Until the end Skulduggery."

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 _ **YAY! MY FIRST EVER FANFIC IS FINISHED. SORRY IF THERE WERE ANY GRAMMAR/SPELLING MISTAKES. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. THANKS FOR READING :)**_


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